MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee men's basketball team has been picked to finish first in the upcoming Horizon League regular season, according to the results of the Under Armour preseason poll conducted by the League's head coaches, SIDs, and media members which was announced today by the league office.

High expectations have become the norm under head coach Bart Lundy. Two seasons ago, the team was picked second – its highest ranking in over a decade. Topping the poll today marked the second consecutive campaign that the Panthers will be the No. 1 selection as the new season gets underway.
 
In addition, Milwaukee saw three of its players earn Preseason All-League honors – no other league program had more than one of its players selected.
 
Newcomer Amar Augillard was picked as a First-Team honoree, while both Faizon Fields and Seth Hubbard earned Second-Team status.
 
The Panthers tallied 24 first-place votes and 428 points in the poll to hold down the spot, with Oakland coming in a distant second with seven first-place votes and 384 points.
 
Youngstown State (364 points/2 first-place votes), Robert Morris (345 points/8 first-place votes), and Purdue Fort Wayne (287 points/1 first-place vote) round out the top five of the poll.
 
Lundy has set the bar high in his first three years with the Panthers, leading the team to three consecutive 20-victory seasons, marking the first for the program since a record four straight back from 2002-2006.
 
The 2024-25 campaign concluded with an overall record of 21-11, including a 14-6 mark in the Horizon League that resulted in a tie for second place. His offense finished with Top-5 entries in the school's record books in scoring average (78.4 ppg), total points (2,510), field-goal percentage (.468), field goals made (907), and field goals attempted (1,939). The team finished first in the NCAA in fastbreak points with 18.4 per game as the team embraced Lundy's "Tilt The Floor" motto. The Panthers also set a program record in rebounds per game at 39.2 to rank No. 21 in the nation, helping Milwaukee place second in the NCAA in rebound margin at +9.3.
 
Excitement is high and optimism abounds as the 2025-26 campaign approaches.

Augillard is expected to be a big contributor to the MKE offense this season, bringing a resume that includes 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Player of the Year honors after pouring in 22.7 points a game. Last winter, he averaged 13.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per outing at Fresno State.
 
Despite being limited by injuries, Fields made 21 appearances last season and averaged 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 61.8 percent from the field overall.
 
Hubbard brings extensive NCAA Division I experience at both Toledo and Western Michigan, averaging close to 10 points a game in 95 career contests, adding 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting over 80 percent from the free throw line.
 
2025-26 Under Armour  #HLMBB Preseason Poll
Pl.        Team (First-place votes) – Pts.
1.         Milwaukee (24) – 428
2.         Oakland (7) – 384
3.         Youngstown State (2) – 364
4.         RMU (8) – 345
5.         Purdue Fort Wayne (1) – 287
6.         Northern Kentucky – 274
7.         Wright State – 221
8.         Cleveland State (2) – 217
9.         Detroit Mercy – 176
10.       IU Indianapolis – 115
11.      Green Bay – 93
 
#HLMBB Preseason Player of the Year
Tuburu Naivalurua, Oakland
 
Preseason All-League First Team (alphabetical order by school)
Orlando Lovejoy, Detroit Mercy
Marcus Hall, Green Bay
Amar Augillard, Milwaukee
Tuburu Naivalurua, Oakland
Cris Carroll, Youngstown State
 
Preseason All-League Second Team (alphabetical order by school)
Faizon Fields, Milwaukee
Seth Hubbard, Milwaukee
Dan Gherezgher, Northern Kentucky
Corey Hadnot II, Purdue Fort Wayne
DeSean Goode, Robert Morris